Wethersfield Wins Government Finance Officers Association Award

Wethersfield recognized for transparency and thoroughness of financial reporting.

WETHERSFIELD — For the third year in a row, the town has received a national award recognizing the transparency and thoroughness of its financial reporting.

The Government Finance Officers Association this week bestowed its Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting on Wethersfield.

"It says a lot about the professionalism of the finance department and the attention to detail they give to their tasks," Town Manager Jeff Bridges said.

Finance Director Michael O'Neil said he was pleased to win the award again.

"It's a reflection of a lot of hard work throughout the whole year by my staff here," O'Neil said.

The GFOA, the chief professional organization for municipal finance officials, invites governmental organizations to apply for the award. The group challenges government entities to produce annual financial reports that go beyond the requirements of Generally Accepted Accounting Standards.

"The goal of the program is not to assess the financial health of participating governments, but rather to ensure that users of their financial statements have the information they need to do so themselves," the group's website says.

O'Neil said his department participates in the program every year to give policymakers and citizens more detailed information. Participation in the program assures "a higher standard of reporting," he said.

"We want to provide more information to the public and to decision makers," O'Neil said. "It's a really high level of transparency."